Baseball cards have been an integral part of American culture for over a century, capturing moments from the national pastime and allowing fans to connect with their favorite players. The small town of Easton on Maryland’s Eastern Shore has deep roots in the history of baseball cards dating back to the early 20th century. As one of the oldest communities in the state, Easton saw the rise of baseball cards from humble beginnings to a nationwide phenomenon.
Some of the earliest baseball cards were included in packages of cigarette brands in the late 1880s as a marketing gimmick. In the early 1900s, many small tobacco and candy shops across America would stock these baseball cards as a side product. One such shop was Will’s Corner Store, established in Easton in 1904 at the corner of Dover and Aurora Streets. Will’s became a popular spot for locals to pick up necessities and indulge in penny candies. Seeing the demand, store owner William H. Perdue began carrying loose packs of baseball cards alongside his cigarettes. This made Will’s Corner Store among the first retailers on the Eastern Shore to offer baseball cards separate from tobacco products.
Throughout the 1910s and 1920s, baseball card production expanded and regional companies emerged. Based in Baltimore, American Caramel Company was a leading candy maker that issued sets featuring stars from the Baltimore Orioles and other teams. Their cards could be found for sale at many shops in towns throughout Maryland, including Will’s Corner Store in Easton. As the local nine-to-five men stopped in after work or kids came by after school, trading and discussing the latest cards became a regular pastime. The cards immortalized the heroes and rivalries of a booming era for baseball, helping to grow the sport’s popularity across small-town America.
In the late 1920s, the Goudey Gum Company of Boston launched highly coveted sets that are now considered some of the most valuable in the hobby. Their colorful, high-quality cards featured top talent from the era. While Goudey cards were distributed nationally, it’s likely many found their way to Easton as well. A local teenager, Clarence Derrick, reminisced in an interview about obtaining his first Goudey card of Babe Ruth at Will’s Corner Store in 1929. The iconic image of Ruth in pinstripes left a lasting impression on the young Clarence, fueling a lifelong love of the game.
The Great Depression of the 1930s saw a decline in the baseball card industry, but production ramped up again through the end of the decade thanks to innovative promotion by the American Leaf Tobacco Company. Their 1938 set featured the first-ever card of Joe DiMaggio and helped reinvigorate the market. By then, multiple shops in Easton stocked cards, though Will’s Corner Store remained the community hub. On summer evenings, locals would often congregate outside discussing the day’s games and latest card swaps. Easton was truly embracing its status as a “baseball town.”
World War II shortages impacted card production for several years, but the post-war boom brought about the golden age of baseball cards in the late 1940s and 1950s. Topps Chewing Gum became the dominant force with their colorful, photograph-heavy cards. Meanwhile, Easton saw many new developments that grew the game at the local level. In 1947, the town’s high school fielded its first baseball team. Little League was taking off across the country, and Easton established its first league in 1951. These new generations of ballplayers, both amateur and professional, were prominently featured in the latest Topps sets. Local shops like Kresge’s Five & Dime and Smith’s Drug Store stocked cards and became important gathering spots.
The 1950s were truly the heyday for baseball cards in Easton. With national television exposure increasing fan interest, kids were avidly collecting the annual Topps issues chronicling their favorite new stars like Mickey Mantle and Willie Mays. Trading cards in school yards and Little League dugouts became a daily ritual. Meanwhile, the Baltimore Orioles’ arrival in 1954 as the area’s Major League team made local heroes out of stars like Brooks Robinson, Frank Robinson, and Jim Palmer. Their cards were snapped up in Easton shops. By decade’s end, the town was fully immersed in baseball card culture.
In the 1960s and 1970s, the industry continued to boom with innovation from companies like Fleer and Donruss. The rise of new hobbies and a players’ strike in the early 80s led to declining interest. Many regional card shops closed. In Easton, Kresge’s shuttered in 1981, leaving Smith’s Drug Store as the sole local retailer. But the hobby’s nostalgia ensured its survival.
Through the 1980s and 90s, baseball card collecting underwent a resurgence thanks to the sport’s explosion in popularity. New superstars like Cal Ripken Jr. and Ken Griffey Jr. made for hot-selling cards. In Easton, memorabilia shop Catch 22 Collectibles opened in 1992 and became the premier destination for locals. New insert sets featuring autographs and parallel editions added excitement. The rise of the internet in the late 90s further connected collectors worldwide and increased demand.
Today, Easton remains active in the baseball card scene. While Smith’s Drug Store is long closed, Catch 22 continues to thrive as the Eastern Shore’s top card shop. Local card shows are regularly held, drawing collectors from across the region. Vintage sets from Easton’s early card-stocking days in the 1900s and 2000s are highly sought. And the passion is being passed down – many local youth still bond over their favorite modern stars like Mike Trout and Fernando Tatis Jr. From small tobacco shop beginnings over a century ago, baseball cards have grown into an integral part of Easton’s recreational and cultural fabric. The history of the hobby and its impact on communities like Easton’s underscores cards’ significance to our national pastime.
